


Playing the Game

by ILS



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Fantasy, Foot Fetish, Kitsune, Orgasm, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Romance, Tickling, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24942169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILS/pseuds/ILS
Summary: On a night she had expected to be just like any other, Princess Yuki of the Kitsune is visited by her secret lover, the lowly street performer Emiko. If Emiko is found out, she risks capture - and worse. Can the two lovers keep quiet until the end of the night?
Kudos: 13





	Playing the Game

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I wrote a few years back - and doing a quick re-read to proofread it before posting it here, I noticed how many elements are similar to another story I posted not long ago.
> 
> I am both surprised and appalled by how little my ideas seem to have evolved.
> 
> Regardless, I do quite like the story, so I figured I might as well upload it, despite the fact that it's a bit old. Hope you'll enjoy it!

The light of the crescent moon shone through the window of Princess Yuki’s private chambers. The room was large, much too large for what was, essentially, supposed to be just a simple bedroom. Some would say that it was only fitting for the Princess of the Tatemae Empire, home of the Kitsune race, but Yuki had never liked the size of it.

To her, it was just a lot of wasted space - a room so big that all it accomplished was emphasizing the emptiness. Even with the queen-sized canopy bed taking up a sizeable amount of space, the grand closets and the ornate room dividers that seperated the bedroom into smaller areas, her chambers still seemed so empty.

The princess let out a sigh. It looked to be yet another boring night. Yuki had spent several minutes in front of her mirror brushing and tending first to her long, silver hair before fixing the fur on her ears and long, fluffy, beautiful tail. She planned to simply lay down in bed, perhaps spend an hour or so reading one of her books before turning in for the night. At least, that  _ was _ the plan, until her ears twitched in response to a sudden noise coming the window.

_ -Tink. Tink tink. Tink tink tink- _

It was the sound of little taps on the glass, of a pair of nails lightly drumming on the windowpane. As the Princess curiously turned her head to look at the source of the sound, her lavender eyes met with those of a kitsune on the other side. Her short, golden blonde hair shone ever so slightly in the faint light of the night, her slender yet athletic body silhouetted by the moon behind her.

As she realized she had caught the Princess’ attention, a coquettish smile spread across her face as she gave a little wave of her hand, her tail gently swaying in the air behind her. Her ruby-red eyes glistened with a veneer of playfulness, a sight that made Yuki’s insides tingle in anticipation.

Perhaps this night wasn’t going to be quite as boring as expected.

* * * * * * *

”Hee… h-heeheh… M-Mmm-hmm-hmm~” The Princess did what she could do suppress the lewd noises that were escaping her, but it was difficult. The way the skilled and slender fingers of her lover were teasing and exploring the hollows of her smooth armpits coaxed forth giggle after giggle, not all of which allowed themselves to be restrained. And whenever she managed to keep her composure and remain quiet, the kisses and nibbles inflicted on her tender neck were sure to tear down her defenses once more. Yuki did what she could to distract herself – digging her fingers into the soft pillow behind her head, curling her toes around the cover of her luxurious bed as well as biting gently down on her knuckles – but nothing could keep her distracted for long.

The knowledge that she couldn’t make too much noise only seemed to make everything tickle much worse. She knew that at least two of the Royal Samurai, the order of warriors who stood guard over the Imperial Palace, were just outside, keeping watch over the Princess’ chambers. One of them even being Yuki’s personal retainer.

_ If Kurohana hears anything out of the ordinary, _ she thought,  _ she won’t hesitate for a second to come in. And then what do we do? _

Fighting back the urge to lose herself to the intoxicating giggles, the Princess worked up the will to speak, shaking her head a little as she did so. “N-Nooo, c-ca-haha-reful, you’re b-being too rou-hough~” Her voice was soft and quiet, keeping the volume low to avoid unnecessary attention. Under different circumstances, she would not care – she would simply crave more, relishing in the loss of control and reveling in the attention bestowed upon her sensitive body. She would want to be taken advantage of, to be tickled far beyond her limits, to be at the complete and total mercy of her lover - of Emiko.

But not now. Not here. She simply couldn’t risk it.

“Too rough?” came the reply, followed by a coy smile – the type of smile that made the fur on the Princess’ ears and tail tingle. While the Princess was still dressed in her silky black and purple nightgown, Emiko was as naked as the day she was born, on her knees and elbows above Yuki with her fingers wiggling around in the Princess’ armpits. Her tail hung down behind her, occasionally brushing against the insides of Yuki’s thighs – the soft, fuzzy fur sending delightful little tingles up through the Princess’ thigh to her wet sex.

“I think  _ I’m _ the one who decides what’s too rough, my Little Princess~” For a moment, the tickles intensified as Emiko’s fingers dug deep into Yuki’s hollows. The ticklish princess arched her back in surprise and let out a squeal, quickly followed by a stream of unrestrained laughter. Had her lover’s lips not connected with her own in a passionate kiss at that very moment and muffled the sounds, it could very well have been the end of the night. Yuki’s body squirmed and struggled as her and Emiko’s tongues danced together, little tears forming in the corner of her eyes as the uncontrollable laughter flowed forth. Her mind wanted it to stop, wanted her lover to pull back so that she could breathe.

But her body was thoroughly seduced, the helplessness and lack of control making her body flush with heat and her eyes hazy with lust.

When the kiss was broken and the tickles put on a brief hold, Yuki gasped for air and was left panting on the bed, little beads of sweat trickling down her body, her once finely combed silver hair now quite messy.

“…That was… was too risky,” she protested, trying her best to sound authoritative. But it was clear that Emiko wasn’t buying it. Not even for a second.

“Eh, Kinda,” the blonde kitsune said as one of her hands slid out of the Princess’ armpits, only to pull the top of her nightgown further downward, exposing one of her ample breasts and revealing the stiff nipple that sat in the center of it. “…But  _ totally _ worth it~” Her fingers gently teased the little bump, causing the Princess to bite her lower lip and shiver and mewl.

It was true – the heat rushing through her body and the wonderful tingle in her abdomen was more than proof of that. She loved it when Emiko teased her and used her – when she made her feel weak, feminine, desirable and in need of protection. When she tore away the air of power that Yuki had to uphold as Princess of an entire nation, and left her just another ticklish, lusty woman.

* * * * * * *

It had all escalated so quickly in the two months they had known each other. Yuki had simply been traveling through the streets of the capital of Momoha, like she had done many times before. She was well liked by the people, and for better or worse, the people knew not to mess with her, lest they bring down the full wrath of the Empress on themselves. And yet, as she’d been lost in thought walking down the crowded main street, someone had grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her up against the wall of one of the nearby buildings, planting a kiss on her lips. Yuki hadn’t resisted - mostly because it was so sudden.

It was an incredibly bold and stupid move. Had this person done that to any other noblewoman, they might have been executed on the spot. Someone surely had to have seen them do this to Yuki, to the Princess herself – and if they told anyone, the perpetrator’s life was over.

But luckily for her, Yuki wasn’t like any other noblewoman.

When the kiss was broken, she simply stared into the beautiful, ruby-red eyes of her ‘assailant’. She was usually well spoken, and had been trained to be socially unflappable from birth, but now found herself at a total loss for words. After what felt like several minutes of the two of them staring into each other’s eyes, Yuki’s back pressed against the wall behind her, she finally managed to utter a question - and a slap to the woman’s cheek.

“…Why would someone do something this  _ stupid _ ?” she asked bluntly.

After recovering from the slap and sending a slight smile her way, the woman with the short, blonde hair rubbed the back of her head, ears twitching slightly.

“I dunno,” she shrugged, “I just felt like someone as pretty as you needed a kiss.”

That was how Yuki had met Emiko. With a stupid, nonsensical answer to a question that might very well decide the fate of Emiko’s life. It was where Yuki’s fascination had started. For the next two months, the Princess made frequent visits to Emiko, a woman who worked as a simple street performer – a dancer. Secret meetings turned to secret talks, secret talks to secret flirting - and eventually something more. Yuki was fascinated by this common dancer, yet she could not understand why. Something about the way she carried herself was just so… attractive. So  _ free _ .

And the first time Yuki let herself be tied up and allowed Emiko to ravish her body with a mixture of intense tickling and prolonged pleasure, it was an eye-opening experience. Nothing had ever felt so good – nothing had ever made her feel so alive. Even when her body was screaming for a break, when her lungs burned and were crying out for oxygen and her throat was sore from laughter, she felt light and bubbly in a way she never had before.

She screamed with pleasure, howled with laughter and begged for mercy, only to beg for more when mercy was actually given to her. Emiko was quick to pick up on this fact, and played the role of a gentle, dominant mistress perfectly, scratching an itch Yuki never even knew she had. But despite the orders Emiko gave her, despite the intense tickle torture, despite occasionally having to  _ beg _ for Emiko to let her orgasm, Yuki never felt any malice from Emiko. Everything she did, she did because Yuki loved it. She did it out of love, out of affection.

The common dancer had completely stolen the Princess’ heart.

* * * * * * *

But up until now, Yuki had always been the one visiting Emiko – never the other way around. It was much too risky for the dancer to come to the Imperial Palace. And Yuki did  _ not _ want to run the risk.

“Okay,” she replied, “Maybe I liked it a  _ little _ bit. But-“ She was interrupted by yet another kiss, and although she wanted to finish her sentence, she quickly lost herself in the hungry kiss of her dominant lover, moaning as Emiko’s fingers dug into the pliant flesh of her breast and toyed with her nipple once more.

“…But up here, you can’t just tickle me like that without warning. If anyone hears something out of the ordinary and barges in, you’ll get caught!”

“I’ve got an easy solution - I just won’t get caught,” was Emiko’s casual response, followed by another kiss.

“But what if you  _ do? _ ”

“No need to worry, ‘cause I  _ won’t _ be.”

The Princess furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in a pout. Why did her lover have to be so damn stubborn? And why did that stubbornness have to arouse her so much?

“What do you think they’ll do to someone like  _ you _ if the palace guards catch you?”

Tapping a finger to her chin a few times, Emiko hummed for a couple of seconds as she gave the question some thought.

“Well… let’s see, the punishment for seducing the Empress’ daughter, sneaking into the Imperial Palace,  _ tickling _ and corrupting the Empress’ daughter and turning her into a pervert? My guess would be that I’d get thrown in the dungeons, subjected to hellish torture until my mind breaks and then sold off as a broken slave. That’s if, y’know, I’m lucky and they don’t just kill me.” Despite the horror of the words she was speaking, Emiko did not look all too bothered, as she smiled down at Yuki.

“Hey, if I was thrown in the dungeons, would you still come visit me?”

“If you know that the punishment is so severe, why did you even  _ come _ here?” Yuki snapped back, taken a little aback by the question she was posed.

“Well, of course I w-“ Before she could finish her sentence, Emiko leaned down to kiss and nibble at the nape of her neck, the fur of one of her ears tickling Yuki’s cheek as the Princess let out a quiet squeal.

“Then all the mind-shattering torture the royal interrogators could possibly throw my way will be  _ totally _ worth it.”

The Princess’ neck had always been her weak spot, and having it nibbled so expertly turned the rest of her body into jelly in Emiko’s hands. But it did not help assuage her worries, something that finally seemed to get through to Emiko as the princess sent her another worried frown as she regained her composure.

With a little sigh and a smile, Emiko lay down next to Yuki, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing her naked body up against her royal lover. Yuki enjoyed these moments too – the moments where they were simply cuddled up to each other, enjoying the warmth and the closeness.

“Don’t worry, Ki-Ki…” the dancer whispered softly, lazily running her fingers through Yuki’s long silver hair.

“I promise you- No, I  _ swear _ to you that I won’t get caught. No matter what. I love you too much to spend the rest of my life in some dank dungeon or as a mindless slave. You know me, I’m smarter than all of them.” The blonde kitsune snuggled up even closer, wrapping both arms around Yuki’s body and gently pressing their foreheads together as she playfully whispered in a childish voice:

“Ko-Ko loves her little Ki-Ki. Does Ki-Ki love her Ko-Ko?”

As worried as she was and as much as she wanted to remain stern with Emiko, Yuki simply couldn’t help but giggle. Despite how silly the nicknames were, they always made the Princess smile.

“…Fine,” she relented, not answering Emiko’s question as the answer was obvious enough. 

“But come on… Heh, cut it out with the silly names. You sound like a lovestruck teenager.” The princess’ fingers found their way to Emiko’s tummy, wiggling around and making her squirm and dance delightfully. Yuki was far from the only ticklish one in this relationship.

With the air between them cleared, Yuki sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head into Emiko’s body with a satisfied smile. She felt so safe there. As if nothing could hurt her. Her lover’s scent calmed her, a wonderful mix of cherry and the natural smell of a woman. Emiko was quick to respond in kind to the Princess’ cuddling, rubbing Yuki’s back as their tails coiled around one another.

“I won’t get caught,” she reiterated softly, whispering into one of Yuki’s ears. Her warm breath tickled the fur and caused the ear to twitch and jerk in response.

“I’m great at playing the Grand Game. They won’t ever catch me, I promise. You have  _ nothing _ to worry about.”

* * * * * * *

The Grand Game. The cornerstone of Tatemae society. Yuki had never liked it. To other races, kitsune were typically known as tricksters, cunning manipulators and liars, a race excellent at subterfuge and espionage. A kitsune could only really be trusted for as long as you were  _ absolutely certain _ your goals aligned - and even then, trusting a kitsune without a backup plan was usually considered folly amongst other races.

All of this linked back to the Grand Game, the cornerstone of social interaction in kitsune society. To a kitsune, their genuine feelings, their real emotions,  _ their true selves _ were all sacred and something to be kept hidden away. Only the people closest to you should ever know who you really are. Everyone else should only ever see the mask you put on to fit into society. Revealing one’s true self to others makes it easier to be manipulated, vulnerable to be taken advantage of and used as a stepping stone for someone else.

Thus, the term ‘the Grand Game’. It was a game with unspoken rules - never reveal your true feelings, but always try to figure out the true feelings of others. A common, societal belief that everyone was always out for themselves. It was a practice common throughout all layers of society – from the gangs roaming the streets to the courtesans at the brothels to the very highest levels of politics and royalty.

_ Everyone _ played the Game, whether they wanted to or not. That was simply how life worked. You put on whatever mask you needed to gain an advantage. The strong, independent woman might play the part of a weak, fragile flower to avoid the consequences of her actions, or the shy, anti-social business owner might pretend to be outgoing and harsh in order to secure his business deal.

If you were bad at playing the Grand Game, you would likely never achieve anything, remaining a street worker or other lowly profession. But if you were truly skilled at playing the Game, at masking your true self and manipulating others in your favour, you could theoretically reach all the way to the very top of society.

But of course, the higher one climbed, the more risk was involved. The more one risks, the better they need to be at the Game. Spying and counter-spying was commonplace amongst those of high society for this very reason, the use of shinobi being vital to survival.

Yuki disliked it. No, she  _ hated _ it. Hated having to hide her true feelings, hated having to pretend to be someone she wasn’t - she hated all of it. But such was the way of things – the Grand Game had existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years before Yuki was even born, and would likely last for just as long after her death.

In kitsune society, one either played the Grand Game or got left behind.

* * * * * * *

Yuki lost track of time as she cuddled with her lover. She had to fight the urge to fall asleep in Emiko’s arms, her tail occasionally squeezing the dancer’s to keep herself awake. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right then and there, safe in her lover’s arms, but she couldn’t. What if Emiko fell asleep too? What if one of the Palace maids walked in the next morning, only to discover them together? No, Yuki had to remain awake, as little as she might have wanted to.

Not that it was  _ all _ bad. The two kitsune had begun to engage in small bouts of footsies, their feet playing with each other as their toes rubbed against one another. It helped to keep Yuki awake. And, as she soon found out, it seemed to give Emiko an idea.

“Roll over on your stomach, Little Princess,” she said as she looked at Yuki with a grin. She had gone back to using the name she always used when they played together – Little Princess. “I wanna have some fun with those adorable little feetsies of yours~”

Her eyes going wide, Yuki shook her head. “Wh- N- _ No _ . There’s  _ no _ way I can keep my voice down if you do that!” The mere thought of what Emiko could do to her feet was enough to make Yuki’s heart beat at a rapid speed. Her feet had always been sensitive and very ticklish, but it wasn’t until meeting with Emiko that the Princess had learned that it wasn’t limited to simply being ticklish. Her feet were an erogenous zone, capable of practically bringing her to an orgasm if they were treated right. She loved it when Emiko played with them, but it was too risky. She couldn’t allow it.

“It’s fine, it’s  _ fine _ .” Emiko uncoiled her tail from Yuki’s, pushing at her gently to make her roll over. “Bury your face in the pillow. It should muffle all those naughty, lewd little noises you’ll be making. Now, roll over. I know you secretly want it, Little Princess.”

As little as Yuki wanted to admit it, Emiko was right. She  _ did _ want it. Badly, in fact. Maybe it would _ not _ be so bad if she just buried her face in the pillow. It might muffle her just enough so that the Samurai outside wouldn’t hear. After all, she’d been giggling earlier, and no one had heard that. Surely, if her noises were muffled, no one would hear, right?

Biting her lower lip in contemplation, Yuki ran through the scenario in her mind, but it was mostly for nothing. She had already made her decision. After sending Emiko a glance and a little smile, she rolled over on her stomach, face firmly planted in her pillow.

“Good girl.”

The dancer wasted no time planting her naked rear on the back of Yuki’s thighs, ensuring that her legs were firmly restrained. The princess had expected to be able to take a deep breath, to mentally prepare herself for what was to come – but she was afforded no such luxury. Emiko had barely seated herself on top of Yuki before her fingers found their way to the princess silky soles. There was no gentle start, no light teasing and no soft tickling to warm her up. Right out of the gate, Emiko intended to drive her Little Princess straight up the wall – a task she succeeded at with gusto.

Yuki howled into her pillow, laughter flowing from deep within her as Emiko’s slender fingers skittered across the length of her soles. Her lover alternated between scratching with her short nails and rubbing with the pads of her fingers. The nails would drive Yuki mad, dancing across every little wrinkle on her tender soles, before turning their attention to her arches and causing her to scream into her pillow. And then they’d stop, replaced with the softer fingertips, lightly tickling and rubbing her poor feet.

This alternating between hard and soft, between the intense and the soothing kept Yuki engaged the whole time. Sometimes, the intense period lasted  _ forever _ , until the poor princess could barely breathe anymore, the lack of oxygen making her mind hazy. And yet other times, Emiko barely even tickled her, instead focusing on rubbing and gently tending to the pretty peds at her disposal. The most cruel was when, after a prolonged period of intense tickling, Yuki was finally afforded a soothing break… only for the evil nails to return a second later, cutting her break short and driving the princess mad. 

There was no defense, no holding back. Her entire body bucked and thrashed, her tail coiling itself around Emiko’s waist as if trying to hold on to her. Curling her toes in defense provided only temporary aid, as her lover was quick to pull those naughty toes back and punish the foot for trying to resist with an extra dose of torturous tickles. Her otherwise white soles quickly turned a flush pink under the expert tickling of Emiko, who left no spot un-tickled for long.

Was the pillow enough to silence her laughter? She didn’t know – and at the moment, she didn’t really care. She was hot – so hot. Her eyes were blurry with tears, and she was drooling slightly. She couldn’t see anything with her face buried in the pillow, intensifying the whole experience. It tickled so,  _ so _ bad, every little scratch of those evil nails along her soles sending jolts of electricity up her legs and into her crotch, which quickly grew slick and moist. If this kept up for long…

“See?” purred Emiko, stroking Yuki’s tail with a gentle touch, “The pillow works like a charm. But oh dear, my Little Princess is making such  _ lewd _ noises. And she’s getting so  _ wet _ , too. I wonder what the people would think, knowing that their dignified, beloved princess was such a cute little tickle-toy?”

It was true – while she was still howling with laughter, a couple of moans had slipped out of the horny little princess. Her feet were too sensitive, Emiko’s fingers felt too good and the fact that she couldn’t lift her head, forced to keep it buried deep in her pillow only made her feel all the more helpless. Things only got  _ worse _ when she felt her lover’s attention shift from her soles to her toes, the slender fingers snaking their way in between each and every toe to tickle at the sensitive flesh in between. Yuki’s mind began to slip, rapidly getting lost in an erotic haze as lust began to push out rational thought. Her sex burned with desire, soaking her covers in her natural lubricant. If she was not practically forced to keep her arms underneath the pillow in order to push it into her own face, she would have reached down to finger herself. She needed release, and she needed it  _ bad _ .

Having noticed her growing desire, Emiko turned around and lay herself down on top of Yuki, breasts pressed against her back. Her hands slipped underneath the nightgown, fingers wiggling wickedly against the side of the princess’ breasts to turn her on further. But her feet weren’t given a break, oh no – Emiko’s tail had taken over the job of keeping them nice and tickled, the soft fur brushing over both her soles rapidly, the tip of the tail snaking its way around her toes. The stimulation of her breasts and feet, the warmth of her lover’s body, all of it contributed to Yuki losing herself to the darkness of the pillow. She began to see stars. If anyone else heard the strange mixture of hysterical laughter and erotic moans coming from the esteemed princess, she would have been humiliated for life.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Emiko began to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, promises of things to come.

“Don’t worry, Little Princess. I’ll take you away… far away from here, from this place. I’ll protect you, keep you safe.”

_ Please, yes…! _

“We’ll live together on a small farm out in the country, just the two of us… You’ll be my beloved Little Princess forever and ever.”

_ Take me away…! _

“When you’re naughty - which you  _ always _ are - I’ll tie you up, hands above your head, legs spread wide open for me, as you lie naked on our bed…”

_ Ohhh, g-god…! _

“I’ll tickle you for minutes, for hours. I’ll tickle your beautiful breasts, your adorable tummy, your amazing thighs and those naughty, sensitive feet. I’ll tickle, and tickle, and tickle and tickle, until your voice gives out and you’re body goes limp with exhaustion.”

_ Yesss…. Oohh goddd, yesss…!! _

Yuki’s laughter had gone silent, her body shaking and quivering. She was so close. Just a little more, just a little bit…!

“And when you’re all tickled out… we’ll fuck so hard that you won’t be able to think straight for  _ days _ . Oooh,  _ fuck _ , you’re so hot, Ki-Ki…!!” Unable to hold back anymore, Emiko began to kiss and bite at the princess’ sensitive neck.

“Beg me, Ki-Ki…! Let me  _ hear _ how needy you are…!”

Like the obedient Little Princess she was, Yuki complied. It was nothing more than mumbled gibberish, almost incomprehensible through intense moaning and laughter, and that was  _ before _ the pillow muffled almost all of it. But it was all Emiko needed to hear, her hands slipping underneath Yuki’s body to fondle and squeeze at her breasts.

It finally pushed the tired princess over the edge, her entire body tensing up as she let out a cry of pure lust into the pillow, a powerful orgasm rocking through her body. It lasted for several seconds, until Yuki saw stars and felt as though she was about to pass out – only to have her body fall limp and leave her panting and sweating on the bed. Her whole body was a mess, far from the well-combed and clean condition it had been in prior to Emiko’s visit.

But she didn’t care. She felt  _ so good _ , her mind frayed and in tatters, goosebumps covering every inch of her body.

Following Yuki’s orgasm, Emiko rolled off of her and wrapped her up in an embrace, allowing the silver haired kitsune to recuperate in her arms. As soon as she had worked up the energy, the princess planted a wet, sloppy kiss on her lover’s lips. There was no attempt at grace, technique or anything - it was a kiss of pure, unadulterated passion.

“Oh god, I  _ love _ you…” she mumbled. Emiko smiled at her and looked about ready to reciprocate, when they heard a noise that made them both freeze.

_ - _ **_Thump thump thump_ ** -

The sound of someone knocking on the door to Yuki’s chambers.

“M’lady?” Yuki recognized the voice – it belonged to Kurohana, her retainer. “Is everything alright in there?”

It was like being hit with a splash of cold water. The fog that had clouded Yuki’s mind instantly dissipated as her body went on high alert. To her credit, Emiko was fast – she was already out of bed, throwing on the bare necessities of her clothes. Yuki just had to stall for time somehow.

“Yes, I’m… I’m fine!” She cursed herself. Her voice was weak and hoarse from laughter – Kurohana wasn’t going to buy it for long. Yet somehow, it gave Emiko just enough time to get dressed – not completely, as she had to leave behind her bra and at least a few other articles of clothing – but enough so she wasn’t totally indecent. Sending her Little Princess a smile, she mouthed an “I love you too” as she dashed for the open window, crawling out the way she came in. Seconds later the door to Yuki’s chamber swung open, Kurohana looking inside with a worried expression painted on her face, hand gently resting on the hilt of her katana.

“M’lady, I apologize for intruding, but I heard strange noises coming from in h-“ The retainer froze as she looked upon the scene of her princess, splayed out on the bed, body covered in sweat, the lower part of her nightgown moist and wet. The retainer’s cheeks turned a healthy red as she averted her gaze so quickly that her black ponytail almost swung around and slapped her in the face.

Yuki sent her a little glance. “As I said, I am fine. I may be the daughter of the Empress, Kurohana, but I am still a woman with needs to fulfill. Surely, that is natural, no?”

Kurohana was quick to nod in response, quickly backtracking out of the room. “O-Of course, M’lady. I-I uh… I’m sorry for just barging in like that. If uh… if you need help, just call for me, okay?”

With the door to her chambers closed, Yuki once again found herself alone in her room. Her big, empty room.

* * * * * * *

After recovering her strength, taking a short bath and changing into a clean nightgown, Yuki found herself resting with her elbows on the windowsill, staring out the window and down at the capital of Momoha. To where Emiko lived. It was hard not to smile after what she had done tonight. Risky as it might have been, it was a true display of passion. Visiting the Princess in her private chambers, risking capture and death for love. An incredibly sweet gesture.

And incredibly, unbelievably stupid.

Despite what Emiko had promised and sworn, she would never be able to whisk Yuki away. She would never be able to protect her. She would never be able to defend her. It was a delusional dream, no matter how much Yuki wished for it to be true. Emiko claimed to be good at the Grand Game, but in truth she was awful at it – in fact, one of the worst Yuki had ever seen.

The dancer wore her heart on her sleeve, she spoke her mind and was as open as a book. That was the reason Yuki loved her so, so much. But it also made her an easy target. The Princess already suspected that her mother knew about her and Emiko’s affair, but after tonight’s little stunt, the Empress almost certainly knew that her daughter was in love with a simple commoner – and a  _ woman _ , no less.

Yuki would get her own shinobi spies to keep an extra eye on Emiko, to protect her from the spies her mother would surely send after her. Because unlike Emiko, Yuki knew how to play the Game better than anyone. Knew how to pretend, knew how to lie, knew how to manipulate. Even if she hated it. Even if it meant keeping Emiko completely in the dark as to how grave of a danger her life was in now, unaware of many people were watching her every move.

It would be a secret war against her mother. A war only they would ever know about. They would play the roles of kind mother and sweet daughter, while secretly looking for any holes in the other’s defenses. Such was the nature of the Grand Game.

In kitsune society, one either played the Grand Game or got left behind. And Yuki had no intention of allowing Emiko to be left behind.


End file.
